Morley Markets fire: Why WA Police initially thought the shopping centre blaze was deliberate

WA Police have conceded they made a blunder on Wednesday when they declared a fire that gutted Morley Markets was deliberate, after the state’s top cop said officers “were on the hunt” for those responsible.

Hours later, WA Police clarified the cause of the blaze, which destroyed the 5000-square-metre building on Bishop and Progress streets at 12.30am, was not suspicious, with impacted business owners told the likely cause was an electrical fault.

Firefighters on scene at the Morley Markets. Credit: Peter Nguyen

“Following an extensive investigation, detectives from the Arson Squad have determined a fire at a shopping precinct in Morley to be non-suspicious,” a WA Police spokesperson said.

“No criminality has been detected. [Emergency services] investigators will continue to examin